From expenses to walkout losses, the price for BART's troubled, drawn-out contract talks last year came to $8.4 million.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

From expenses to walkout losses, the price for BART's troubled,...

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Isaac Santos was trying to get to school in Berkeley from the West Oakland station but didn't know that BART service had been suspended by striking workers. Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021 failed to reach a contract agreement, in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Isaac Santos was trying to get to school in Berkeley from the West...

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Bay Area Transit workers, including station agent Michelle Collins, center, and train operator Will Adams, right, went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021 failed to reach a contract agreement, in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Bay Area Transit workers, including station agent Michelle Collins,...

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Commuters wait on a bus headed for San Francisco from the West Oakland BART Station as Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021 failed to reach a contract agreement, in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Commuters wait on a bus headed for San Francisco from the West...

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The West Oakland Station is seen shuttered as Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021 failed to reach a contract agreement, in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

The West Oakland Station is seen shuttered as Bay Area Transit...

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Casual carpoolers catch a ride into San Francisco early Friday morning at the Hudson St. and Claremont Ave. pick up point in Oakland, Calif. on Friday Oct. 18, 2012. After contract talks broke down between BART management and unions, workers went on strike at 12 am Friday morning and BART service has come to a stop system wide.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Casual carpoolers catch a ride into San Francisco early Friday...

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Traffic backs up at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge toll plaza as commuters make their way into San Francisco on the first day of the (Bay Area Rapid Transit) BART strike on October 18, 2013 in Oakland, California. For the second time this year, BART workers have gone on strike after contract negotiations between BART management and the transit agency's two largest unions fell apart on Thursday afternoon. Management and unions agreed on the financial specifics of the contract but differed on workplace safety rules.

Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

Traffic backs up at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge toll plaza...

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Tabi Musselwhite and Nate Singer avoid the morning commute and work at Spasso Coffee House in Oakland, Calif. on Friday Oct. 18, 2012. After contract talks broke down between BART management and unions, workers went on strike at 12 am Friday morning and BART service has come to a stop system wide.

Passengers line up on 20th St. to board a Transbay AC Transit buss heading to San Francisco from downtown Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021failed to reach a contract agreement.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Passengers line up on 20th St. to board a Transbay AC Transit buss...

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Kareem Hill with the group, By Any Means Necessary shows support for unions as he joins a picket line in front of the BART Lake Merritt station in Oakland, Calif. on Friday Oct. 18, 2012. After contract talks broke down between BART management and unions, workers went on strike at 12 am Friday morning and BART service has come to a stop system wide.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Kareem Hill with the group, By Any Means Necessary shows support...

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BART Project Manager John Gee, center, hands out tickets and information to passengers boarding transbay busses at the West oakland station in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021failed to reach a contract agreement.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

BART Project Manager John Gee, center, hands out tickets and...

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A BART Strike Schedule is seen posted as passengers head towards a San Francisco bound ferry at the Jack London Square Ferry Terminal in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021failed to reach a contract agreement.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

A BART Strike Schedule is seen posted as passengers head towards a...

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Passengers heading to the Ferry Building in San Francisco board a Blue and Gold fleet boat at the Jack London Square Ferry Terminal in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021failed to reach a contract agreement.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Passengers heading to the Ferry Building in San Francisco board a...

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Passengers ride the ferry from Jack London Square to Ferry Building during the first day of the BART strike in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, Oct. 18, 2013.

Photo: Nicole Fruge, The Chronicle

Passengers ride the ferry from Jack London Square to Ferry Building...

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Doors are locked during the strike at the BART Lake Merritt station in Oakland, Calif. on Friday Oct. 18, 2012. After contract talks broke down between BART management and unions, workers went on strike at 12 am Friday morning and BART service has come to a stop system wide.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Doors are locked during the strike at the BART Lake Merritt station...

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Anthony Van, left, and Ritthy Hang line up with other passengers as they wait to board a Transbay AC Transit buss heading to San Francisco from the West Oakland BART Station in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021failed to reach a contract agreement.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Anthony Van, left, and Ritthy Hang line up with other passengers as...

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Passengers line up on 20th St. to board Transbay AC Transit busses heading to San Francisco from downtown Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021failed to reach a contract agreement.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Passengers line up on 20th St. to board Transbay AC Transit busses...

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Bay Area Rapid Transit workers carry signs as they picket in front of the Lake Merritt BART station on the first day of the BART strike on October 18, 2013 in Oakland, California. For the second time this year, BART workers have gone on strike after contract negotiations between BART management and the transit agency's two largest unions fell apart on Thursday afternoon. Management and unions agreed on the financial specifics of the contract but differed on workplace safety rules.

Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

Bay Area Rapid Transit workers carry signs as they picket in front...

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Reah DeCaro of Oakland waits to put her bike on a Transbay AC Transit buss as she heads to San Francisco from downtown Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021failed to reach a contract agreement.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Reah DeCaro of Oakland waits to put her bike on a Transbay AC...

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An AC Transit bus passes a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station on the first day of the BART strike on October 18, 2013 in Oakland, California. For the second time this year, BART workers have gone on strike after contract negotiations between BART management and the transit agency's two largest unions fell apart on Thursday afternoon. Management and unions agreed on the financial specifics of the contract but differed on workplace safety rules.

Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

An AC Transit bus passes a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station...

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Turnstiles sit idle behind closed gates at the MacArthur BART station in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021failed to reach a contract agreement.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Turnstiles sit idle behind closed gates at the MacArthur BART...

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The moon sets as traffic backs up at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge toll plaza while commuters make their way into San Francisco on the first day of the (Bay Area Rapid Transit) BART strike on October 18, 2013 in Oakland, California. For the second time this year, BART workers have gone on strike after contract negotiations between BART management and the transit agency's two largest unions fell apart on Thursday afternoon. Management and unions agreed on the financial specifics of the contract but differed on workplace safety rules.

Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

The moon sets as traffic backs up at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay...

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Bay Area Transit workers, including train operator Will Adams, center, went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021 failed to reach a contract agreement, in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Bay Area Transit workers, including train operator Will Adams,...

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Ron Carnegis, a longshoreman at the Port of Oakland, talks with commuters as he shows his support for the striking workers at the West Oakland Station in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021 failed to reach a contract agreement.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Ron Carnegis, a longshoreman at the Port of Oakland, talks with...

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BART Department Manager of Customer Access Bob Franklin, right, checks his phone as passengers board a San Francisco bound bus at the West Oakland Station in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021 failed to reach a contract agreement.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

BART Department Manager of Customer Access Bob Franklin, right,...

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Roberto Lu-Flores, left, who said he was leaving extra early because of the strike, boards a bus headed for San Francisco from the West Oakland Station in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021 failed to reach a contract agreement.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Roberto Lu-Flores, left, who said he was leaving extra early...

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Commuters wait on a bus headed for San Francisco from the West Oakland BART Station as Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021 failed to reach a contract agreement, in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Commuters wait on a bus headed for San Francisco from the West...

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Highway 880 is packed with commuters on Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, in Oakland, Calif. Commuters in the San Francisco Bay Area got up before dawn on Friday and endured heavy traffic on roadways, as workers for the region's largest transit system walked off the job for the second time in four months.

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press

Highway 880 is packed with commuters on Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, in...

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Passengers heading to the Ferry Building in San Francisco pay their fare as they board a Blue and Gold fleet boat at the Jack London Square Ferry Terminal in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021failed to reach a contract agreement.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Passengers heading to the Ferry Building in San Francisco pay their...

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Passengers ride the ferry from Jack London Square to Ferry Building during the first day of the BART strike in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, Oct. 18, 2013.

Photo: Nicole Fruge, The Chronicle

Passengers ride the ferry from Jack London Square to Ferry Building...

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Passengers ride the ferry from Jack London Square to Ferry Building during the first day of the BART strike in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, Oct. 18, 2013.

Photo: Nicole Fruge, The Chronicle

Passengers ride the ferry from Jack London Square to Ferry Building...

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Max Hunter rides the ferry from Jack London Square to Ferry Building during the first day of the BART strike in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, Oct. 18, 2013. A regular BART rider this was his first time on the ferry.

Photo: Nicole Fruge, The Chronicle

Max Hunter rides the ferry from Jack London Square to Ferry...

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Passengers ride the ferry from Jack London Square to Ferry Building during the first day of the BART strike in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, Oct. 18, 2013.

Photo: Nicole Fruge, The Chronicle

Passengers ride the ferry from Jack London Square to Ferry Building...

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A BART train is seen stopped on the elevated tracks near the West Oakland Station in Oakland, CA Friday, October 18, 2013.
Bay Area Transit workers went on strike shutting down train service after BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021failed to reach a contract agreement.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

A BART train is seen stopped on the elevated tracks near the West...

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A picket line forms in front of the BART Lake Merritt station in Oakland, Calif. on Friday Oct. 18, 2012. After contract talks broke down between BART management and the unions, workers went on strike at 12 am Friday morning and BART service has come to a stop system wide.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

A picket line forms in front of the BART Lake Merritt station in...

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A picket line forms in front of the BART Lake Merritt station in Oakland, Calif. on Friday Oct. 18, 2012. After contract talks broke down between BART management and unions, workers went on strike at 12 am Friday morning and BART service has come to a stop system wide.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

A picket line forms in front of the BART Lake Merritt station in...

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Mallory Taub avoids the morning commute and works from the Spasso Coffee House on College Ave. in Oakland, Calif. on Friday Oct. 18, 2012. After contract talks broke down between BART management and unions, workers went on strike at 12 am Friday morning and BART service has come to a stop system wide.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Mallory Taub avoids the morning commute and works from the Spasso...

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BART patrons leave a train at the Lake Merritt station that was one of the last trains to operate out of there early Friday morning before the strike took effect. People involved with negotiations between BART and its unions declared an impasse following nearly 30 hours of negotiations on Thursday, and the unions will strike at midnight. BART negotiations failed to yield an agreement on Thursday, October 17, 2013, in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

BART patrons leave a train at the Lake Merritt station that was one...

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BART patron Asa Isles carries his bike up an escalator after he disembarked a train at the Lake Merritt station that was one of the last trains to operate out of there early Friday morning before the strike took effect. People involved with negotiations between BART and its unions declared an impasse following nearly 30 hours of negotiations on Thursday, and the unions will strike at midnight. BART negotiations failed to yield an agreement on Thursday, October 17, 2013, in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

BART patron Asa Isles carries his bike up an escalator after he...

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Richelle Anderson of Hayward watches as BART station agent Edmund Buenger performs his shut down duties at Lake Merritt station early Friday after midnight before the strike begins. People involved with negotiations between BART and its unions declared an impasse following nearly 30 hours of negotiations on Thursday, and the unions will strike at midnight. BART negotiations failed to yield an agreement on Thursday, October 17, 2013, in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

Richelle Anderson of Hayward watches as BART station agent Edmund...

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BART station agent Edmund Buenger does one last inspection of the platform as he performs his shut down duties at Lake Merritt station early Friday after midnight before the strike begins. People involved with negotiations between BART and its unions declared an impasse following nearly 30 hours of negotiations on Thursday, and the unions will strike at midnight. BART negotiations failed to yield an agreement on Thursday, October 17, 2013, in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

BART station agent Edmund Buenger does one last inspection of the...

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State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord urged lawmakers to approve a measure he was carrying that would require drivers to stay t least three feet away from bicyclists when they are passing in the same direction, at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Aug. 26, 2013. AB1371 by Assemblyman Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, was approved by a 31-7 vote and sent back to the Assembly for a final vote. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

From takeout pizza to top-dollar consultants, BART spent $2.2 million during nine months of contract talks that most everyone agrees turned out disastrously.

In a particularly strong dose of salt for BART's wound, nearly half that total paid the salaries of the army of 53 union negotiators who took time off their jobs to work on the deal.

Add in the $1.2 million for charter buses that BART paid for to shuttle frustrated commuters during a pair of strikes - and the $5 million BART lost during those walkouts - and the out-the-door price tag for the transit agency hit $8.4 million.

BART spokeswoman Alicia Trostsaid the money the district spent on consultants and the like was intended "to avoid entering into contracts which would have negative and profound financial impacts for BART and passenger service for years to come."

"We were doing everything we could to resolve the contract, and everything was in place to get that done," she said. "It's clear from the district's action that they wanted us to be out on strike."

According to figures provided to us under a state Public Records Act request, BART spent an estimated $1.2 million on outside consultants brought in to help management with the negotiations.

About a third of the consulting fees - $430,997 - went to Veolia Transportation, the firm headed by BART's lead negotiator, Thomas Hock. He wasn't around for the final deal - Veolia's contract lapsed before it was all over, and BART didn't renew once it became clear he'd somehow missed the infamous provision that would have granted workers six weeks a year of paid family leave.

The No. 2 consultant, Bruce Conhain from Gummerson and Conhain in Fairfield - who took the lead after Hock's exit - received $247,000. Three other consultants - Rumi Ueno, and the firms Beeson, Tayer and Bodine, and Bintelx Inc. - were paid roughly $100,000 each for services that ranged from legal work to creating budget models.

BART also paid $165,680 to a pair of outside public-relations types, Rick Rice and Sam Singer, to help sell the district's story.

BART picked up the wages for union negotiators because federal labor law requires it. Nearly three months after our initial information request, however, BART still can't tell us how much each of those 53 union negotiators was paid.

What we do know is that 28 of them worked full time on the talks during the final six months of negotiations. At an average salary of $70,000 a year, that would put the cost of their participation during that period alone at close to $1 million.

Even small items added up during the drawn-out talks. Agency records show that BART General Manager Grace Crunicanand her in-house bargaining team spent $4,704 on takeout food - including one pizza order for $271.

As for fallout from the talks, BART's director of human relations was recently let go by the district, and the tensions between management and the unions remain high - with one particular source of friction being the two track workers who were struck and killed by a BART train during the strike in October.

Bryant blames the district for "blatant and arrogant negligence," telling us, "Those people should not have died."

Demo dominoes: Rep. George Miller's decision to retire at the end of his term is sending dominoes toppling from Danville to Sacramento.

In a heartbeat, state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, went from being the likely runner-up for the top Senate job to front-runner to replace Miller. He's likely to have a lock on major labor and party endorsements - including Miller's.

For a brief 24 hours, neighboring Democratic Rep. John Garamenditoyed with jumping districts, but backed off after it became clear that DeSaulnier would stay in the race even if Garamendi joined him.